Power of two: Williams designs; Gold orchestrates the
business end of the company. "I think it's very hard for
people to go out and do something 100 percent on their own,"
says Gold. "I like the idea of having a partner."

Catbird seat: Williams and Gold focus on selling to home
furnishing retailers such as Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and
ABC in New York City. Their products are sold nationwide and
throughout Europe, Japan and South America.

Rx for success: The partners believe a healthy staff
equals heightened productivity. They sponsor yearly on-site
physicals and eye exams, educate their employees with regular tips
on healthy living, and recently introduced daily warm-ups and
stretching exercises to factory workers. They're also
constructing a new factory on 70 acres of land that will have a
walking track, gym and day-care center. Another
therapeutic gesture: Gold's English bulldog, Lulu, comes
into the office every day, visiting with customers and
employees.

No couch potatoes allowed: "We hire the best people,
and that's what makes a company grow. It's not just the
entrepreneurs on top--it's the people who make the team,"
Gold says.

Sofa, so good: "We've proven that doing the
things that show employees you care about them rewards you because
they end up working that much harder," says Gold. "And
the proof is in the pudding because our employee productivity is
really great."

Toy Soldiers

Good things come in small packages.

Names and ages: John Weems, 43, and Joe Morrison, 53

Company name and description: Morrison Entertainment
Group Inc. creates new toy concepts, then licenses them to various
toy companies. One of their most successful projects: The "In
My Pocket" series of toys, a line of pocket-sized figurines
that includes "Kitty In My Pocket" and "Pony In My
Pocket."

Based: El Segundo, California

Founded: 1989

Start-up costs: $100,000

1998 sales projections: $30 million

Prior pursuits: Both partners left successful careers at
toy giant Mattel Inc. to found Morrison Entertainment.

Going to their heads? Last year, Morrison and Weems
formed an alliance with British toy and collectible manufacturer
Corinthian Marketing Inc.; the partners now own a minority stake in
Corinthian and run the U.S. operations. Their first joint products,
called Headliners (miniature figurines of baseball, basketball,
football and hockey greats), have been a huge success--six million
of the big-headed collectibles sold in 1997.

Not just child's play: "Nothing goes in a
straight line when you're in a start-up environment," says
Weems. "Whatever curves get thrown at you, you need to be
flexible enough to change your business plan and maybe even your
whole mind-set about what needs to be done to accomplish your
goals, even when the circumstances change."